* Governor Ademola Adeleke,
Osun State
By Ibidapo Olowolayemo, Ibadan
Tuesday March 11, 2025
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A former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Barrister Sunday Ojo Williams, and other leaders of thought in the state, particularly people of Ijesa part, have cried out over alleged nepotism in placing of public officials in the Ademola Adeleke-led government in the state, describing it as an administrative and democratic rape.
There has been simmering disquiet in the state in the last two years over the reported imposition of people of Ede origin in key positions.
The matter came to a head recently when the position of Rector of the Osun State College of Technology (OSCOTECH), Esa-Oke, was projected to be filled soon and an Ede indigene is said to have been proposed to occupy the seat soon.
However, irate youths in Ijesaland have vowed to resist the alleged imposition.
A group of concerned Ijesa sons and daughters, “Ijesa Visionary Group,” had recently cried out over what it termed “continued ‘Edenisation’ of the state, a rape on democracy and an abuse of office.”
The group averred that “the proposal of the Osun State government to install another indigene of Ede as the rector of OSCOTECH would be totally rejected, describing it as abuse of office.
The leader of the group, Barrister Yomi Adekanmi, said; “the governor is making frantic effort to install the present Deputy Rector, Mr. Sefiu Adebowale Adewumi, who was manipulated to be deputy rector recently, after compelling an Esa-Oke born Chief Lecturer, Mrs. Kehinde Ijitona to step down for the Ede indigene as the acting rector of the institution and may be subsequently appointed as the substantive rector.
“The claim of the governor and his Chief of Staff is that Mr. Adewumi is the most popular, most qualified, and most senior officer in the school, whereas, there are many others who are Ijesa people and are more qualified than him in the polytechnic; among them is a former deputy rector, deans, directors and former heads of departments.”
Barrister Adekanmi alleged that an internal and external advertisement had been placed in national dailies for the position of the rector, but fillers in the college alleged that there were indications that the Senator Adeleke-led government is making frantic efforts to install Adewumi, a kinsman and nephew of the governor from Ede as the rector.
Recall that an Ede man was equally appointed as the rector of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree two years ago.
Speaking on the matter, Barrister Ojo Williams, who is now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), noted that it would be an oppression against Ijesa people in the state.
He, however, said the development would be resisted, but in a mature way.
“Ijesa people have been complaining about this development; it is only Ede people who are not complaining; they are the beneficiaries.
“We have a list of Ede indigenes in the government, highly placed in various agencies, departments, and institutions.
“This is not the first time that this kind of development has happened. And the Ijesa are always the most affected.
“We will resist these Ede impositions, but we are a cultured people; it will be done maturely,” Williams said.
He lamented that many qualified Ijesa indigenes in the college (OSCOTECH) were not allowed to apply for the position of rector, as they were alleged to be threatened by the institution’s management.
Another leader of thought, Chief Kunle Odeyemi, also a leader of the APC in the state, said leaders of Ijesaland would call on sons of the land in the Adeleke-led government to resign and come back home if the marginalization of Ijesa people continued.
“People like Diran Odeyemi, who is the chairman of the Governing Council of OSCOTECH should be talking and resisting imposition of the proposed Ede son as rector on the institution.
“Mr. Sunday Bisi, Senator Adenigba Fadahunsi, Honourable Wole Oke, Honourable Sanya Omirin, Ibukun Fadipe, and other PDP leaders and our traditional rulers should be talking.
“We, as politicians, if we talk, they could say we are playing politics. The development is very bad,” he said.
The consensus is that the government should allow all eligible candidates to vie for the position of rector in OSCOTECH.
The current rector of the state polytechnic in Iree, also an Ede indigene, was also said to have been unduly imposed.
However, they argued that Ijesa would resist this.
Efforts to speak with the Chairman of the Governing Council proved abortive, but sources said that Odeyemi might likely resign the Council chairmanship if it is compelled “to support the appointment of the Ede man who only possesses a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree in Mathematics.”
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